Bird with a fish

Giacomo Raffaelli was trained as a sculptor and painter but is best known for his work in micromosaic, a medium which he is credited with inventing. Working in Rome, he had a studio in the Piazza di Spagna, where numerous mosaic workshops were clustered to cater to travellers on the Grand Tour. Raffaelli’s micromosaics were highly sought after by visitors to the city and he is believed to have held the first recorded exhibition of this type of work at his studio in 1775. Raffaelli’s micromosaics are distinguished by their superior quality and the intricacy and detail with which he was able to convey painterly modelling through the arrangement of the thousands of tiny glass pieces known as tesserae. The present lot is a beautiful example of the artist’s affinity for portraying birds, a recurring feature of his oeuvre. The myriad of different colours used to create tonal modulation in the body of the bird combined with the pale blue highlights around its head and neck demonstrate the artist’s skill at achieving naturalism in mosaic form.

Post Lot Text

This lot has been imported from outside the EU for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on the invoice. Please see Conditions of Sale for further information.